4 Stars

Goodreads Synopsis:

Set in the 1970s in a run-down, rainy industrial town, Jo Nesbo’s Macbeth centers around a police force struggling to shed an incessant drug problem. Duncan, chief of police, is idealistic and visionary, a dream to the townspeople but a nightmare for criminals. The drug trade is ruled by two drug lords, one of whom—a master of manipulation named Hecate—has connections with the highest in power, and plans to use them to get his way. Hecate’s plot hinges on steadily, insidiously manipulating Inspector Macbeth: the head of SWAT and a man already susceptible to violent and paranoid tendencies. What follows is an unputdownable story of love and guilt, political ambition, and greed for more, exploring the darkest corners of human nature, and the aspirations of the criminal mind.

My Review:

Jo Nesbø was the perfect pick for Hogarth’s Shakespeare retelling of Macbeth. Macbeth is a daunting play to take on, and my personal favorite of the Shakespearean tragedies, so the author chosen for such an ambitious feat had to be able to handle the darkness, depravity, and thirst for power so integral to the story. Nesbø certainly is no stranger to writing characters who are dark, sinister, and morally corrupt, and he was able to (almost) effortlessly transform Shakespeare’s 17th-century play into a violent, cruel crime fiction novel set in 1970s Scotland amid corrupt police and warring drug gangs, which really was a perfect setting since even though Shakespeare might not have realized this back in 1606, but Macbeth really was a precursor to today’s modern psychological suspense novels.

All the characters are there: Duncan, chief of the police, Macbeth, head of SWAT, Banquo, part of SWAT and his loyal friend, Duff (MacDuff), head of Narcotics and ready to move up in the ranks, Lady, Macbeth’s lover, owner of a high-class casino, and the driving force behind Macbeth’s sudden ambitions, and Hecate, drug lord and local crime boss with an otherworldly air. So the time and place have changed, yet the players and their roles not so much. If you’ve read Macbeth, you’re pretty much going to know what will happen since you can’t completely ever immerse yourself in the book because you know in the back of your mind that this is a retelling of Shakespeare. Still, that keeping you in the moment and not letting you forget that this is Macbeth isn’t a bad thing, especially since Nesbø is so clever at making the story modern-day and having the characters fuse identity with their 17th-century counterpart that you felt almost like you were in two places at once. The result is extremely atmospheric, highly dramatic, and beyond clever while filled with the originals chaos, darkness, and tragic conflict of moral code.

My only complaint was that the book, at over 500 pages, was unnecessarily too long. After a while, it felt like it was a struggle in some places to get through. It’s still a highly readable book and if you like Nesbø, you should definitely pick it up. If you like Macbeth, then it’s even more worth reading. Nesbø’s really managed to capture the spirit of Shakespeare here, which many retellings lack, and he’s delved deep into all the motives that make Macbeth the man, well Macbeth…sex, money, family but most of all, the desire for ambition, power, and control.

**Thank you, Netgalley, Hogarth Press, and Jo Nesbø for an ARC copy in exchange for my fair and honest review.**

About the Author: Jo Nesbø

Jo Nesbø is a bestselling Norwegian author and musician. He was born in Oslo and grew up in Molde. Nesbø graduated from the Norwegian School of Economics with a degree in economics. Nesbø is primarily famous for his crime novels about Detective Harry Hole, but he is also the main vocals and songwriter for the Norwegian rock band Di Derre. In 2007 Nesbø also released his first children’s book, Doktor Proktors Prompepulver.

11 thoughts on “Book Review: Macbeth by Jo Nesbo”

Thank you!! I’m glad you’re enjoying it! It really is great, but the length got to me. I was also reading 11/22/63 by Stephen King at the same time, which is over 800 pages, so I could have just been dying over an overload of huge books 😂Enjoy it! Nesbo is fantastic!

Macbeth’s one of my faves too! And that’s a great point about it being a precursor to today’s modern psychological suspense novels. What a cool setup for a retelling. Pity it was a little unnecessarily long, but glad to hear it captured the essence of the original. Fantastic review!

It’s such a great play…helps that it has a touch of the supernatural, lol. Ah, thanks! I’m glad that you agree with the point I made; I often wonder what Shakespeare would write if he would be alive today! I would be amazing whatever it was! It could have been a bit shorter, but I could just be nitpicky. I might not be the best person to analyze a retelling of Macbeth since I teach the original version 2x a year in my British Lit class and have for the past 17 yrs (so that’s, what 34 times I’ve had to read it, hahaha). I’m a bit harsh on the Shakespeare retellings, so I was duly impressed with Nesbo! It exceeded my expectations to be honest. Thank you very much! 🙂

Ah yes, I really agree with you! 😀 You’re welcome! hehe that’s a very interesting question- but for sure it’d be amazing 😉 That’s very fair. hehe I can understand that- WOW that’s a lot- so in a way I’d say you’re the best person 😊 Honestly, I can understand that- I’ve not reread it nearly as much and would be picky for sure! I’m glad it exceeded your expectations 🙂 You’re welcome!

Definitely, he’d be a bestseller, lol! It is a lot, lol. Sometimes I rotate Macbeth with King Lear or Hamlet, so I do get a break, haha! But I’ve read it enough that I probably have it memorized. I guess that is true with most things you teach 2x a year for over a decade. But thank you! I’m not sure that I’m the best, but I definitely know my Macbeth, lol. Yes, thanks! 🙂